The present invention relates, in general, to construction materials and, in particular, to an insulated masonry building block and a method of forming this block.
The demand for energy conservation has prompted many developments for improved thermal insulation of buildings. The better the insulation, the less loss to the outside of heat in the winter and coolness in the summer. The ultimate benefit is less consumption of oil, gas and electricity to heat or air condition the building.
Various approaches have been taken in the past to insulate building constructed with masonry materials. One technique, used in conjunction with different types of construction, involves applying layers of insulating material to the wall surfaces. Among the disadvantages of this approach is the loss of interior building space.
When using masonry building blocks, the recesses of the blocks have been fitted with inserts made from insulating material. In terms of efficient use of space, this approach has the distinct advantage of making use of space which might otherwise go unused.
A number of proposals have been developed previously by which the insulation is incorporated into the masonry building block. However, the result, generally, has been expensive in-place cost of the blocks. Some of these known techniques involve fitting, pouring or blowing insulating material into the block recesses at the building site, while in others the insulating material is fitted, poured or blown into the block recesses by the manufacturer of the block. Both of these approaches involve secondary operations after the blocks have been cast which add to the labor costs either at the building site or in the fabrication of the blocks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved insulated masonry building block.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insulated masonry building block which possesses the required load bearing capability and can be fabricated at a reasonable cost.